WWE SmackDown: 3 Possible IC Title Contenders for AJ Styles

2.) Mr. MITB Otis

At WWE MITB 2020, AJ Styles had his palms on the MITB Briefcase at the top of the ladder before it slipped from his hands and fell in the hands of Otis. Styles didn’t take Otis seriously before the match, and his underestimation clearly failed him. Since this fluky finish occurred between Otis and Styles in the MITB Ladder Match, they should fight for both the MITB Briefcase and the IC Championship at WWE SummerSlam 2020.

At WWE Backlash 2006, then-IC Champion Shelton Benjamin and then-Mr. MITB Rob Van Dam fought for both the MITB Briefcase and the IC Championship. Rob Van Dam won this match, retaining the MITB briefcase and becoming the new Intercontinental Champion. Since Styles reportedly declaimed that he is looking forward to working with Otis in the future, he and Otis could implement the same concept here by doing a winner takes all match.

The storyline would be feasible to formulate. Otis never climbed the ladder to grab the briefcase, so Styles felt robbed and has a good reason to request a ‘winner takes all’ ladder match with Otis. Meanwhile, Otis would be baited into putting the MITB Briefcase on the line just to greedily win his first Intercontinental Championship. While there is a clear predilection for Otis, this would be a compelling storyline for both superstars that would bring everything full circle.